OUSD continues to fail Black students in special education. A low-income Black student with an IEP is 29 times more likely to be suspended than a non low-income, non-Black student without an IEP. Our students with the highest needs are summarily dismissed from the classroom on the regular. Twenty-nine times more likely—think about that. The students who have…
special education
What is wrong with the SPED department in OUSD?
By Andrew Pablo, former OUSD Special Education teacher I know everyone is tired of hearing the same statement that “public schools are underfunded.” However, the fact of the matter is, public schools are truly lacking the necessary amount of money to create learning spaces that can benefit ALL students, including those with IEPs (Individualized Educational…
Prioritize the needs of Special Education students this school year
This pandemic without a doubt forced us to focus on the basic economic needs of families and students. The need for economic stability and housing stability was front and center for so many and that took precedence over the search for internet and devices. The questions were real – will I pay for $10 internet,…
Oakland Charter-run and District-run schools by the Numbers
Thank you OUSD for throwing some hard numbers into the charter school debates. While I missed 2/22/16 Board engagement session (I was in NYC), I did look at the materials. Big takeaways; students at charter-run schools tend to perform somewhat better on state tests and be more economically disadvantaged. While district-run schools had somewhat greater…
Post’s Op-Ed on charter schools and special education doesn’t serve reality or students
It’s disappointing to continually hear the half-truths and what I will call “misconceptions” around charter schools and special education students in Oakland. A little fact checking would have helped—but let me do some here. Many of these were raised in a recent op-ed in the Oakland Post in the op-ed, Charter Schools in Oakland do…